Currency Question

[UK Cruiser]

We will be on the Diamond Princess Bangkok to Beijing cruise in November.

 

Having read many details concerning tours, etc. there are several references to needing local currency when ashore. I of course expect to need local currency but I was wondering if we can obtain currency on board ship or whether we need to obtain some of each currency prior to travelling.

 

Thanks in anticipation of your responses.

 

Lynne

[smeyer418]

We will be on the Diamond Princess Bangkok to Beijing cruise in November.

 

Having read many details concerning tours, etc. there are several references to needing local currency when ashore. I of course expect to need local currency but I was wondering if we can obtain currency on board ship or whether we need to obtain some of each currency prior to travelling.

 

Thanks in anticipation of your responses.

 

Lynne

US Dollars are widely accepted but I don't know if that helps you from UK. The ship will change money for you generally at not a very good rate. ATM's are widely available everywhere but Vietnam(this may have changed recently but I was told that is one of the few countries where they are not available) Hope that helps. Don't worry there will be people willing to change money where ever you go.

[Druke I]

We did Singapore to Beijing on Regal Princess, 3-01.

 

The Purser's Office had limited amounts of foreign currency for each of the various countries visited, but as SMeyer above points out, exchange rate not real good, and they would take back only bills, not coin. Don't know if they would charge you more for the conversion of sterling.

 

ATMs or banks pretty easy to find - but we used credit cards for most things, and need little local currency.

[UK Cruiser]

Thank you for your very prompt replies.

 

We will be taking US Dollars, not Sterling, so it looks like we will be fine. We will have credit cards, it was just the small amounts of currency I was thinking about for small purchases (I'm a woman - I have to shop - it's mandatory!)

 

Lynne

[smeyer418]

in China make sure you have small US bills, 1, and 5's (not 2's-yes we have them but they are not widely circulated). They come in handy for tips. Coins are always hard to exchange---don't use them people don't like them.

[raringtogo]

i've just come back from china and you can change money absolutely everywhere- very easily- either in hotels, banks, or through your debit or credit cards - we did not use any US$ only RMB

[UK Cruiser]

Thanks to you all for your help.

 

I can't wait to get there!

 

Lynne

[edna@optonline.net]

Thanks for all the information but what does RMB stand for?

edna

[smeyer418]

RMB=is the official name of the Chinese currency for foreigners but it is also known as the Yuan.

[raringtogo]

absolutely the very best thing I did was to print out a small wallet/pocket sized note with conversion rates from US$ to RMB - from US$1 up to US$200-

we used it all day every day and all the shop and market traders were facinated by it - we were just grateful to have it because it made life so easy. I downloaded it from somewhere on the net, but unfortunately I just can't remember where. I will look for it again and if I find it I'll post the address on here.

[DL111255]

Found a pocket currency converter that can be downloaded here: http://WWW.OANDA.CO

[UK Cruiser]

Thanks guys. Your help is appreciated. I'll print out a converter to take with us.

 

Thanks again

 

Lynne

[raringtogo]

yes, DL... i looked for it last night and that was the one- it's fantastic and I printed one out for every port i'm visiting in december